The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home
Australia | Argentina | Korea Republic
Argentina
Bott's Belter Sinks Argentina
by Jeremy Ruane
If Catherine Bott never scores another goal in her life, it won't be a disappointment.
Because she will never surpass the forty yard thunderbolt she struck twenty minutes from time to clinch a 2-0 win for the Football Ferns over Argentina at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on March 3.
Having stayed back to cover any Argentine raids lest Ria Percival's corner be cleared, when the ball came Bott's way she was perfectly placed to send it back with interest - a quite unstoppable strike which left Argentina's half-time goalkeeping substitute, Laurina Oliveros, beaten all ends up as the ball soared and swerved over her before crashing into the roof of the net.
It secured a welcome win for the Football Ferns in a match which, for forty-five minutes, saw them drop down to Argentina's level - frankly, both teams were awful, each side guilty of wayward passes aplenty, taking the wrong options … a fine advert for international football, regardless of gender, this most definitely was not.
Both teams would do well to heed the wise words of former Liverpool boss Bob Paisley - "It's not about the long ball or the short ball. It's about the right ball" - and apply it to their game, because the right ball was all too often unseen and very rarely played in a poor first half football-wise.
Yet it could have been a great deal different had the first opening of the match been executed. Rebekah Stott and Abby Erceg moved the ball between themselves up to half-way, at which point New Zealand's lone W-League representative pinged a pass downfield.
It found Rosie White darting in off the left to get in behind the defence, but she should have done better than to direct her low drive straight at Argentinian goalkeeper Vanina Correa, who was little troubled in saving comfortably.
The Football Ferns were keen to use ye olde long ball whenever possible, it seemed, and in the fifteenth minute deployed it again, Katie Duncan - back from her international retirement - the executioner this time, White again the recipient, her well-timed run beating the offside trap, only for the referee's assistant to get it horribly wrong, thus ruining a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Lorena Benitez led the Argentine response, her long-range effort landing on the roof of Erin Nayler's net soon afterwards. From the resulting goal kick, White rampaged down the left to the by-line, and would have expected a more assertive response to her cross from Katie Rood, whose hesitation allowed Correa to swoop at the near post.
The best move of the first half materialised in the twentieth minute, and was founded on Betsy Hassett's ball-winning capabilities. Sarah Morton pounced on the loose ball and sent it forward for the relentless figure of White - her movement, energy and industry in this match were infectious.
The former Oceania Women's Player of the Year swiftly linked with Paige Satchell, who got to the byline on the right before delivering a cross behind White, but straight into the stride of Percival.
She let fly from the edge of the area, forcing a fine parried save by Correa. Percival followed up in an effort to turn home the rebound, but was caught as she let fly by the challenge of Adriana Sachs. As Correa saved the shot, Percival appealed to referee Lara Lee for a penalty, but the Australian official turned a blind eye to the Kiwi captain's claims.
Three minutes later, an Erceg error was pounced on by Soledad Jaimes, who worked an opening for Estefania Banini. The Argentinian captain's shot was cleared by Stott, the South American team's last sighting of the Football Ferns goal prior to half-time.
Indeed, there was just one more goalscoring opportunity before the interval, and it materialised in the 34th minute. Erceg was almost caught in possession by Florencia Bosequndo, but recovered sufficiently to slip the ball wide to Anna Green, who was often seen on the front foot throughout the first half, but for little reward.
On this occasion, she threaded a pass through which allowed White to beat the offside trap and bear down on goal with just Correa to beat. Sadly for the Football Ferns, Satchell was making the same run from right to left, but had set off from an offside position, so when she took possession of the football … the first half summed up in a single episode right there!
Suffice to say, Football Ferns coach Tom Sermanni had a few words to say to his charges at half-time. They were clearly well chosen, and were certainly well heeded, for 'twas a much-improved white-clad Kiwi outfit which emerged following the half-time whistle.
But they had to withstand an early scare from Argentina, with Mariana Larroquette doing Green a treat near the byline before whipping in a cross which was again cleared by Stott, NZ Football's Women's Player of the Year in 2017, whose display in this encounter showed why she received this accolade.
New Zealand's response to this threat was to take the lead in the fiftieth minute. Sarah Morton's throw-in on the right was flicked on by White to Satchell, who took on all-comers as she scythed through the heart of Argentina's midfield and
|
defence via a driving run.
Four opponents were outpaced by the speedster before she unleashed a snapshot which half-time goalkeeping substitute Oliveros parried … straight into the stride of the ever-grateful figure of Rood, who calmly steered home her fifth goal in nine Football Ferns appearances to break the deadlock, to the delight of her team-mates.
Roused by this setback, Argentina pressed hard for a swift equaliser. Twice Benitez went close from distance, her first effort being directed straight at Nayler, who also smothered a Jaimes drive before looking on with relief as Larroquette clipped the angle of the near post and bar with a rising acute-angled drive just after the hour.
Just prior to it, and after Green had directed a twenty yard free-kick narrowly over the bar, Percival won the ball in midfield and headed it forward to Satchell, who benefited from playing in a deeper-lying role in this half, where she could get up a head of steam before taking on opponents without having to watch out for the offside trap.
On this occasion she threaded a pass through to White, who was charging through the inside right channel at a rate of knots in what was a fine display of forward line leadership. Her performance merited a goal, but sadly on this occasion, her angled drive, while beating Oliveros, just beat the far post as well.
Stott was to the Football Ferns' defence in this match what White was to their attack, and in the 66th minute her intervention prevented Jaimes from capitalising on a teasing angled cross from Sachs, as Argentina continued to probe for an equaliser.
Benitez went close from distance again soon after, her shot flying past the post, while seventeen minutes from time her thirty-five yarder forced Nayler into a flying save to turn the ball round the upright, a denial which saw the Ferns' custodian pounding the ground in annoyance.
By this time, however, Nayler and company were two goals to the good, via means outlined at the start of this report. But just before Bott's belter, the Football Ferns produced another super attacking move from which they came close to doubling their lead.
White, inevitably, was central to the raid, linking with Satchell to feed the overlapping figure of Ali Riley, on as a substitute for Green. The newcomer surged into the penalty area before clipping a cross into the area which found its way to Morton, who hammered a shot towards the far corner of the net.
Unfortunately for the fullback, Sachs was on hand to clear off the line, and seconds later she was tackling Hassett as the midfielder took the ball into the area. Penalty appeals went unheeded, so a corner would have to do. Percival delivered it, the ball was cleared to Bott, and NZ Football's contender for the Halberg Awards' Favourite Sporting Moment of 2019 was confirmed seconds later!
It goes without saying there was no way back for Argentina after that moment of magic. Instead, there were more opportunities for the Football Ferns to increase their tally, beginning with Hassett's shot being blocked by Aldana Cometti ten minutes from time.
Three minutes later, Bott thundered a cross-shot into the side-netting after Stott and White had combined to release her down the right. Then came a Meikayla Moore blunder upon which Argentina should have capitalised, but Bosequndo shot straight at Nayler, having been played in by Larroquette.
Cue more Kiwi pressure, with Aimee Phillips whipping in a cross which was just too high for Percival, as she attempted to meet the ball with a flying header. Then Bott and Steph Skilton - a sumptuous pass - combined to play a ball in behind the defence which White was poised to finish off, only for Agustina Barroso to intervene at an inopportune moment from the Football Ferns' perspective.
Back came Argentina, their pursuit of a late consolation goal going unfulfilled as Bosequndo steered an angled shot just past the far post with Nayler beaten, Moore having been caught in possession by Larroquette with substitute Linda Bravo setting up the opportunity.
2-0 the score remained, the result setting up the Football Ferns for a winner-take-all encounter for second place with Korea Republic at AAMI Park on Ash Wednesday, a match which is highly significant for New Zealand women's football, as it will be the 250th "A" international in New Zealand's history.
How times and practices have changed since that 2-0 win over Hong Kong in our first international on 25 August 1975! The Korean encounter may also see Emma Kete become the latest member of the "50 Cap Club", while Ria Percival is poised to make her 150th senior level appearance for her country, a tally inclusive of non-cap-earning internationals.
Argentina: Correa (Oliveros, 46); Sachs (Gomez, 83), Barroso, Cometti, Stabile; Laroquette (booked, 45), Santana, Benitez (Oviedo, 81); Jaimes (Urbani, 71), Banini (Bravo, 71), Bosequndo (Potassa, 90)
Football Ferns: Nayler; Morton (Bott, 61), Stott, Erceg (Moore, 46), Green (Riley, 65); Percival, Duncan (Cleverley, 62), Hassett (Skilton, 83); Satchell (booked, 24), White, Rood (Phillips, 61)
Referee: Lara Lee (Australia)
|